A Silent Agreement
by LizzySong
Summary: Anne decides to bring Gilbert along to Josephine’s next Summer Soirée and Cole and Aunt Jo decide to take it as an opportunity to play matchmakers.


**I'm back with another Shirbert fic! Once again this was a request on my tumblr (LizzySong). I hope you enjoy this insanely fluffy oneshot! If you have a request for a fic feel free to PM me on here or head over to my tumblr!**

 **Until the next fic!**

 **-LizzySong**

"You two will have to share a room," Cole said as he gestured between Anne and Gilbert, making Anne's eyes widen as heat rose in her cheeks.

"Cole there must be a hundred rooms in this beautiful mansion, what do you mean we have to share?"

Cole gave her a knowing smile and she glared back while Gilbert looked between the two in confusion.

"Some other guests came early too, so we've had to double up the rooms."

"Well then why didn't you double me up with Diana?"

"Diana's going to stay with me."

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you didn't want to share a room," Gilbert said, giving Anne a small smirk.

Her eyes widened even further, "That's not... I didn't mean— I just—"

"—It's settled then," Cole said with a satisfied nod while Anne glared at him.

"This is your side of the bed," Anne said as she positively slapped the opposite side of the bed than she was on, "and this is mine," she added as she pointed to her own side the bed.

Gilbert nodded with a small smile as he slid under the covers on his side of the bed, "Alright."

Anne gave him a calculating look before continuing, "You are not permitted to come on my side of the bed for any reason and don't wake me until it's light out. I know you're an early riser, but this is an important occasion, and I don't want to miss a single moment of it because I was too tired to fully enjoy it. Do you agree to my terms, Mr. Blythe?"

"I do indeed, Miss Shirley-Cuthbert," the boy said, propping himself up on an elbow. "I just have one question."

"And what's that?"

"Say there's a fire in the middle of the night and if we don't leave this room we'll be trapped and die a very unpleasant death; am I permitted to wake you before morning then?"

Anne glared at him while he grinned in return and tried not to laugh.

"Gilbert Blythe, you are the most infuriating person I have ever met."

"Well we're sleeping together so I just want to make sure I completely understand your rules."

"...Yes, if there's a fire you should wake me up. —And we are not sleeping together! We are sleeping individually in the same bed."

"My mistake," Gilbert said with a small smile and Anne sighed and flopped back onto her pillows.

Gilbert shook his head a little in amusement and leaned over to turn off the light before settling in and drifting into sleep.

It wasn't long before he was awoken by the sound of desperate, whimpering words coming from the spot next to him. He quickly sat up and turned the light on.

"...No... please, I didn't do anything wrong. I-it's not my fault!"

"Anne! Anne you need to wake up." He gently shook her shoulder until she jolted awake, sitting up.

She took in her surroundings for a few moments before her gaze landed on the boy sitting next to her. "...Gilbert?" she asked and quickly wiped the tears away from her cheeks with her hand.

"Yeah, it's me," he said and placed a gentle hand on Anne's shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said coldly and removed his hand from her shoulder. They sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean... I just..."

"You don't have to explain," Gilbert said gently, giving her a kind smile.

"Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile in return. "...Can I...?" She gestured to his side of the bed and he nodded and moved over to make more room for her. "Don't say it," she added as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I wasn't going to," he said as he wrapped a reassuring arm around her.

She smiled slightly as she buried her face in his shoulder, "Good."

He moved to turn the light out but stopped when Anne reached up and grabbed his arm, "Leave it on — just for a bit — please...?"

He nodded and brought his other arm around her so that he was fully hugging her.

"...They treated me so badly. Everywhere I went, nobody wanted me... and they hurt me—" a sob caught in her throat and she buried her face in the boy's shoulder. He rubbed gentle, reassuring circles on her back while making quiet shushing sounds, doing his best to calm her.

"Why did they all hate me so much?" Anne asked, keeping her face buried.

"Because they hated themselves," Gilbert said, "And you represented what they couldn't be."

"They didn't want to be me, Gil."

"Of course they did. You are the most smart, kind, uninhibited, and the most creative person I've ever met."

Anne smiled and blushed slightly. "...Do you really believe that?"

"Of course I do." He smiled a little and hugged her closer.

"...I'm sorry I was rude to you earlier," Anne said after a few moments.

"That's alright"

"...I'm happy you're here."

"So am I."

Anne closed her eyes and began to fall back asleep, leaving Gilbert to lie awake with what Anne would have called a "positively ridiculous" smile on his lips.

Anne had not exaggerated the outlandish beauty of the Midwinter Summer Soirée when she had described it toGilbert, and he realized this when he was thrown into the midst of it.

It was like something out of one of the stories Anne would write, and he found it absolutely enchanting, feeling as though he'd been allowed to enter an entirely different world of magic and color and... freedom.

"What do you make of all of this, young man?" a voice asked from just next to him, making him jump in surprise.

"Miss Barry!" he said with a smile and the woman laughed. "It's beautiful," he continued, answering her question, "It's, perfect. It's... like her," his gaze landed on Anne, who was across the room, dancing with Diana.

"I know that look quite well," Josephine said with a sad smile.

"Oh, it-it's not like that. Anne and I are just friends."

"Come now. You mean to tell me that you have no feelings but friendship toward the young lady you only just referred to as 'beautiful' and 'perfect'?"

Gilbert blushed and ran a distracted hand through his hair. "I don't think she feels the same way," he said, almost to himself.

"She speaks highly of you; as long as you aren't around to hear it," the woman said with an amused smile.

"She does?" he gave her a slightly confused look.

"Oh yes. Why, just this morning she told me that you were quite the gentleman during he night."

"I didn't really do anything."

"That's not the way she told it."

Josephine placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled sadly, "If you care for her, then you have to make her see it. Life is short, and if you've found someone you want to share it with, then you must tell them."

"You really think I should tell her?"

"Well, she deserves to know, doesnt she?"

Gilbert nodded a bit as he looked to Anne, who was still dancing with Diana, and Josephine let out a quiet, amused laugh as she nudged the boy in Anne's direction.

He turned and gave the woman a small, grateful smile before turning back and walking to the girl who he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of the entire party.

He hesitated for a moment as he got closer. Diana had gone, presumably to find Cole, and Anne was left alone, distracted by the beauty around her. The boy tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around to face him, positively grinning from ear to ear.

"Gilbert!" she said, "Isn't this just the most beautiful party you've ever been to? I suppose I haven't been to many, but I'm certain nothing could ever be as lovely as this."

"It does feel like a world all it's own," the boy said with a smile.

"Oh it gives me such a thrill that you think so, too! ...I've been meaning to thank you," she continued, her demeanor suddenly becoming more serious, "for last night, when I—"

"—Anne it's alright."

"You helped me, even though I was rude to you, and I appreciate it." She hesitated and then threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. "You're always so kind to me, even when I don't deserve it, and I..." she trailed off. She wanted to tell him that she cared deeply for him, and that she had for so long now, she just didn't know what to say. For the first time words failed her; this was too big an idea to be expressed with even the biggest of words.

Gilbert was sure Anne could feel his heart beating fast and hard against his chest as they embraced. Aunt Jo was right, he needed to tell her how he felt, but he didn't know how. Words weren't his specialty, that had always been Anne.

"...You always deserve kindness, Anne," he said. He knew it wasn't a particularly romantic sentence, but he meant every word of it, and that was enough for the girl.

"So do you, Gilbert," she said as she hugged him tighter for a moment before letting him go.

They stared at each other for several long moments, small, shy smiles playing on both of their lips, before Anne spoke again.

"We should dance," she said, taking his hand, "This is a party after all, and I haven't seen you dance once!"

He laughed a little as she pulled him to the middle of the room where people were already dancing.

Neither said another word about the previous night, or their feelings for each other, making a silent agreement to just enjoy each other's company. Eventually they would have to say it out loud, of course, but for the time being this was enough.

Being together, and happy, was enough — more than enough, it was perfect.


End file.
